#WorkTrialsOnTrial

Budget 2018: Chancellor fails to back up own “work must always pay” line

The Chancellor has been accused of being detached from reality for ignoring the “scourge” that is unpaid work trials, despite saying “work must always pay”.

Stewart McDonald, the MP for Glasgow South, who has campaigned to end unpaid work trials, and had his Bill aiming to ban the practice talked out by the Government earlier this year, had called on the Chancellor to back a ban on unpaid work trials and invest in further preventative measures to ensure all workers are paid fairly and properly for the work they do.

However, the Budget did not mention any action on this issue, despite the Chancellor saying “work must always pay” and with studies estimating that workers are missing out on £3billion as a result of unpaid work trials.

Stewart McDonald MP said:

“It is disappointing that the Budget failed to mention one of the biggest injustices that continues to blight our employment sector and exploit to workers – unpaid work trials

“Over the past year, I’ve found instances of employers being caught out for offering unpaid work. The Chancellor’s line that ‘work must always pay’ is not what is happening in reality.

“The Budget should have supported for a ban on unpaid trials, and invested further in preventative measures so that HMRC could closely monitor and clamp down on employers who exploit workers.

“If the Government is serious about bringing austerity to an end, they have to actually help those who have struggled the most over the past decade, which means ensuring those seeking a job never have to worry about exploitation or loss of wages ever again.”